Chapter 9
"City Limits"
Tanya and Tiffany arrived at the city limits to see a wall of infected pushing up against a steel-linked fence surrounding the city.
Tiffany gripped Tanya's hand. "This is big. How do we get through?"
"I don't know. I can normally keep you safe from the few infected, but with this many, I-"
A tongue wrapped around Tiffany and ripped her away from Tanya, dragging her towards the infected.
"Tiffany!" Tanya ran after her and slashed the tongue. She then picked her up and ran back into the city. She sat down in an alley and hugged the little girl closely, rocking a little.
Tiffany regained consciousness and hugged Tanya. "I'm scared. I don't want to be stuck in this city forever."
Tanya stroked Tiffany's head. "It's okay. I promise, we'll find a way out of here."
Tiffany nodded.
Tanya smiled. "Hey. How about we get some new clothes? Will that cheer you up?"
Tiffany looked up at Tanya and nodded.
They headed to a clothing store and snuck inside.
Tanya killed the infected inside and started looking through clothes.
Tiffany watched Tanya.
Tanya picked out a light blue, knee-length dress for Tiffany and showed it to her. "Well?"
"It's not very tactical."
Tanya sighed. "It's not supposed to be."
"What's the point of this again?"
She really is clueless with these types of things. Then again, I can't blame her. After everything she was put through and this infection. It's no wonder she has no real childhood. Her father taught her to be tough. He taught her how cruel the world could be and prepared her like a soldier. If only she could feel what it's like to be a girl for once. "Just trust me on this, okay? Here. Change into it." Tanya gave Tiffany the dress.
"What if we're attacked?"
Tanya's eye twitched. "Then I'll protect you."
Tiffany paused, looking at the dress. She then sighed and got undressed.
Tanya smiled in relief.
Tiffany put on the dress.
Tanya pulled over a mirror and showed Tiffany how she looked.
Tiffany stared at herself in the mirror. She still wore her combat boots. Her shoulder-length dirty-blonde hair was left unkempt and her blue eyes shown with a peculiar interest in the image before her. She took particular note in her height of just over four feet and the fact that her chest still hadn't grown at all. "I... look like a... child still."
"Hm? How old are you?"
"Fifteen."
"What?! Fifteen?! You look way younger!"
"Could you keep it down?"
"Sorry. The infected don't seem to take note of my talking, so I guess that's fortunate."
"Whatever."
"Still, you look cute." Tanya smiled.
Tiffany stared at Tanya in annoyance.
"What now?"
"Nothing." Tiffany looked back into the mirror. She then took off the dress and changed back into her earlier clothes.
Geez. You're hopeless. "So, what now?"
"I don't know. I still want to get out of here, but..."
"I know. I'm sure there's a way out." Tanya then heard movement outside. "Get down." She pulled Tiffany behind the counter and looked over. There was a large group of survivors heading towards the city limits. "Hm... Maybe we should follow them and sneak through the fence while the infected are distracted."
"Maybe. Yeah. Let's do it."
Tanya and Tiffany followed behind the group of survivors to the city limits and watched them as they engaged the infected. They then heard a roar as the ground started to shake.
One of the survivors shouted. "Tank!"
A massive, hulking infected charged at the survivors from the other side of the fence, tearing it down.
Tanya picked up Tiffany and held her tightly as she ran for the opening.
Another survivor shouted. "Witch!"
Tanya grimaced. Damn it!
A survivor shot Tanya in the back with an assault rifle.
"Ngh!" Tanya threw Tiffany through the opening in the fence. "Run!" She turned around and lunged at the survivor and slashed him across the midsection.
Tiffany ran between infected, but got grabbed by a Smoker's tongue and ripped off her feet, causing her to scream.
Tanya turned around. "Tiffany!"
A survivor saw the Smoker and shot at it, breaking its tongue.
Tanya ran and caught Tiffany, hugging her. She then slashed an infected that tried to grab Tiffany.
A survivor noticed the two. "What the Hell?!"
Another survivor butt a Hunter with his gun and loaded it with pistol rounds. "Looks like that Witch still has some human left in her!"
"Yeah?! For how long?!" The other survivor shotgunned an infected.
Tanya tried to keep the infected away from Tiffany, but was getting overwhelmed.
A large, muscular man came in with a large hammer and smashed a Hunter that was in the middle of a pounce towards Tiffany.
Tanya looked at the man. "Thanks."
"Hmph. So you can talk and think." His voice was gruff and deep. He swung his hammer at an infected, sending it flying.
The Tank roared and charged at the man.
"Watched out! Tanya got between and slammed back into the Tank with her right shoulder, only partially slowly it, but it was enough for the man to react and smash the Tank's head in with the hammer. Tanya collapsed, holding her shoulder and panting heavily.
"Thanks. How long until you fully become one?"
"How the Hell should I know? I've been a Witch for weeks."
The man smashed an infected. "Really? That's new."
Tanya stood up and slashed an infected with her left hand.
A few more survivors gathered near them and assisted.
A female survivor shouted at the large man. "You okay, Michael?!"
"Yeah! The Witch saved my ass from that Tank, and she slowed it down enough for me to smash its skull!"
"Seriously!" The woman shot an infected with a shotgun.
Tanya slashed another infected. "The name's Tanya, damn it!"
Michael picked up an infected and threw it into a group of infected. "My apologies ma'am."
Tanya looked at the opening in the fence. "We need to get through!"
"Working on it!" The woman shot an infected in the head with a pistol. "We need an opening!"
"I'll give you that opening!" Tanya let out a battle scream and charged towards the opening, slashing as many of the infected as possible in between.
"Move! Move!" The woman shouted as the group ran after Tanya.
Michael picked up Tiffany and ran with them.
The entire group ran on pure adrenaline until they were clear of the infected.
Tanya dropped to her knees, holding her shoulder. "Guh."
Tiffany jumped off of Michael and ran to Tanya. She gripped her shoulder. "Your shoulder is dislocated. I can replace it."
"Do it. Agh!"
"On three. One..." Tiffany pressed hard as there was a crunch.
Tanya screamed and fell forwards onto her face. "What happened to two?"
Michael walked over. "So, you've been a Witch for weeks you said?"
Tanya got up and looked at Michael. "Yes. I was caught in the first hour of the chaos."
The woman was patching up a wounded arm. "That's something strange. Usually you lose your mind right before you turn."
"How do you know that?"
"Because, I've seen it."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it." The woman looked at Tiffany. "If she your daughter?"
Tanya looked away. "No. She was part of another group that I knew well. After an attack from a swarm, I went to get Tiffany, who had hid. On the way back, the rest of the group was killed by other survivors. Me and her have been together ever since."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I already killed the ones responsible."
"I see. Well, you helped us a lot back there. Thank you."
"Don't. I... We were going to use you as a distraction to get through, but I was shot by one of your allies, whom I promptly killed. I'm sorry."
"Well, at least your honest. Still, with lack of control like that, you sure it's best for the girl to be with you?"
"I haven't layed a claw on her to harm in the week that we've spent together. Still, you might be right. Are you offering to take her in?"
"Maybe, but large groups are dangerously attractive, and we can't guarantee her safety in case of an attack from a large swarm."
"Neither could I if something attracted them to her, like that thing you call a Boomer."
"Hm... Then perhaps we might have room for you."
"No." Tanya answered quickly. "You may trust the men in your group, but when was the last time they... you know." Tanya held Tiffany's hand tighter as she looked around at the men.
"Perhaps you're right, but there's women in this group as well as men. We haven't had any problems as of yet."
"Probably because any one of the women here would be strong enough to fight back."
The woman sighed. "Alright. Still, what happens if you hurt her one day."
"Then I come find you and make you kill me." Tanya looked the woman in the eyes.
The woman nodded. "Alright."
Tanya ran off with Tiffany.
Tiffany looked at Tanya. "Thank you for not abandoning me to them."
Tanya nodded. "Large groups are always bad news."
Tiffany nodded. "What now?"
"Well, we should settle down somewhere quiet."
"The country?"
"If you want."
"I do."
"Then that's our next goal. To the country!"
The duo ran down the highway towards their next destination.
